Oct. 21 , 190 S.I 
FOREST AND STREAM. 
827 
Trails of the Pathfinders*-— XXXIV* 
(Concluded from page 2S9.) 
Ruxton had many hunting adventures, ‘ and some 
narrow escapes from Indian fighting. Much of what he 
writes of this period has to do with the animals of the 
region, for at that time the country swarmed with game. 
The rapidity with which wolves will devour an animal 
IS well known to those familiar with the olden time, but 
we may quoie what our author has to say about it:^^ 
“The sagacity . of wolves is almost incredible. They 
\\dir' remain around a hunting camp and follow the 
lumters the whole day, in bands of three and four, at 
less than a hundred yards distance, stopping when they 
stop, and sitting down quietly when game is killed, 
rushing to devour the offal v/hen the_ hunter retires, 
and then following until another feed is offered them. 
If a deer or antelope is wounded, they immediately 
pursue it, and not u.nfrequently pull the animal down in 
time for the hunter to come up and secure it from then- 
ravenous clutcl'.es. However, they appear to know at 
once the nature of the wound, for if but slightly 
touched, they never exert themselves to follow a deer, 
chasing those only which have received a mortal blow. 
•T one day killed an old buck which was so poor that 
1 left the carcass on the ground untouched. Six coyotes, 
•or small prairie wolves, were my attendants that day, 
and of course before I had left the deer twenty paces, 
Jiad commenced their work of destruction. Certainly 
not ten minutes after, I looked back and saw the same 
six loping after me, one of them not twenty yards be- 
liind me, with his nose and face all besmeared with 
blood and his belly swelled almost to bursting. Think- 
ing it scarcely possible that they could have devoured 
the whole deer in so short a space. I had the curiosity 
to return, and to my astonishment, found, actually noth- 
ing left but a pile of bones and hair, the flesh being 
stripped from them as clean as if scraped with a knife 
Half an hour after I killed a large blacktail deer, and 
as it was also in miserable condition, I took merely the 
fleeces (as the meat on the back and ribs is called), 
leaving four-fifths of the animal untouched. I then 
retired a short distance, and sitting down on a roc^ 
lighted my pipe and watched the operations ol the 
wolves. They sat perfectly still until I had withdrawn 
some three-score yards, when they scampered, with a 
flourish of their tails, _ straight to the deer. Then com- 
menced such a tugging and snarling and biting, all 
squealing and swallowing at the same moment. A 
skirmish of tails and flying hair was seen for five 
minutes, when the last of them, with slouching tail and 
evidently ashamed of himself, withdrew, and nothing 
remained on the ground but a well-picked skeleton. 
By sunset, when I returned to carnp, they had swal- 
lowed as much as three entire deer.” 
Although Ruxton was no longer traveling, he was not 
■yet free from danger from storms, and an extraordinary 
night passed in a snowstorm followed the loss of his 
animals on a hunting trip. Horses and mules had 
disappeared one morning, and he and his companion 
had set out to find them. This they _ succeeded m 
doing, and when they overtook the animalS) shortly 
after noon, he says, “I found them quietly feeing— 
and they suffered me to catch them without difficulty. 
As we were now within twenty miles ot the tort, 
Morgan (his companion), who had had enough of it, 
determined to return, and I agreed to go back with the 
animals to the cache and bring in the meat and packs 
I accordingly tied the blanket on a mule s back, and 
leading the horse, trotted back at once to the ^ove of 
cottonwoods where we had before encamped. Ih^ sky 
had been gradually overcast with leaden-colored clouds, 
until, when near sunset, it was one huge inky mass ot 
rolling darkness. The wind had suddenly lulled, and 
:an unnatural calm, which so surely heral(H a storm 
iin these tempestuous regions, succeeded. I he rawns 
were winging their way toward the shelter of the timbei, 
rand the coyote was seen trotting quickly to cover, con- 
scious of the coming storm. 
“The black, threatening clouds seemed gradually to 
descend until they kissed the earth, and already the 
distant mountains were hidden to their very bases. A 
hollow murmuring swept through the bottom, but as 
vet not a branch was stirred by wind; and the huge 
cottonwoods, with their leafless limbs, loomed like a line 
of ghosts through the heavy gloom. Knowing but too 
well what w'as coming, I turned my animals toward the 
timber, which was about two miles distant. With 
pointed ears, and actually trembling* with fright, they 
were as eager as myself to reach the shelter; but, be- 
fore we had proceeded a third of the dista^e, with a 
deafening roar the tempest broke upon us. The clouds 
opened and drove right in our faces a storm of freezing 
sleet which froze upon us as it fell. The first squall ot 
wind carried away my cap, and the enormous hailstones 
beating on mv unprotected head and face almost sturined 
me In an instant my hunting shirt was soaked, and as 
instantly frozen hard, and my horse was a mass_ ot 
icicles. Jumping off my mule— for to ride was im- 
possible— I tore off the saddle blanket and covered my 
head The animals, blinded with the sleet, and their 
eyes actually coated with ice, turned their sterns to the 
storm, and, blown before it, made for the open prairie. 
All m’y exertions to drive them to the shelter of the 
timber were useless. It was impossible to face the hur- 
ricane, which now brought with it clouds of driving 
snow; and perfect darkness soon set in. Still, the 
animals kept on, and I determined not to leave them, 
following, or, rather, being blown, after them. My 
blanket, frozen stiff like a board, required ^ all the 
streno-th of my numbed fingers to prevent its being 
blown away, and although it was no protection against 
the intense cold, I knew it would in some degree 
shelter me at night from the snow. In half an hour the 
■o-round was covered on the bare prairie to the depth of 
two feet and through this I floundered for a long time 
before the animals stopped. The prairie was as bare as 
a lake- but one little tuft of greasewood bushes pre- 
<^ented’ itself, and here, turning from the storm, they 
suddenly stopped and remained perfectly still. In vain 
I again attempted to turn them toward the direction of 
the timber; huddled together, they would not move an 
inch- and, exhausted myself, and seeing nothing before 
me but, as I thought, certain death, I sank down im-, 
mediately behind them, and covering my head with the 
blanket, crouched like a ball in the snow. I would have 
started myself for the timber, but it _was pitchy dark, 
the wind drove clouds of-frozen snow into my face, and 
the animals had so turned about , in the prairie that it 
was impossible to know the direction to take; and 
although I had a compass with me, my hands were so 
frozen that I was perfectly unable, after repeated at- 
tempts, to unscrew the box and consult it. ' Even had I 
reached the timber, ray situation would have been 
scarcely improved, for the trees were scattered wide 
about over a narrow space, and consequently afforded 
but little shelter; and if even I had succeeded in get- 
ting firewood— by no means an easy matter at any time, 
and still more difficult now that the ground was covered 
with three feet of snow — I was utterly unable to use 
my flint and steel to procure a light, since my fingers 
were like pieces of stone, and entirely without feeling;, 
“The way the wind roared over the prairie that night 
—how the snow drove before it, covering me and the 
poor animals partly — and how I lay there, feeling (he 
very blood freezing in my veins, and my bones petrify- 
ing with the icy blasts which seemed to penetrate them 
— how for hours I remained with my head on my knees 
and the snow pressing it down like a weight of lead, 
expecting every instant to drop into a sleep from 
which I knew it was i npossible I should ever awake — 
how every now and then the mules would groan aloud 
and fall down upon the snow, and then again struggle 
on their legs — how all night long the piercing howl of 
the wolves was borne upon the wind, which never for 
an instant abated its violence during the night — I would 
not attempt to describe. I have passed many nights 
alone in the wilderness and in a solitary camp-^have 
listened to the roarings of the wind and the howling of 
wolves, and felt the rain or snow beating upon me with 
perfect unconcern; but this night threw all my former 
experiences into the shade, and is marked with the 
blackest of stones in the memoranda of my journeyings. 
“Once, late in the night, by keeping my hands buried 
in the breast of my hunting shirt, I succeeded in re- 
storing sufficient feeling into them to enable me to 
strike a light. Luckily my pipe, which was made out of 
a huge piece of cottonwood bark, and capable of con- 
taining at least twelve ordinary pipefuls, was filled with 
tobacco to the brim; and this I do believe kept me alive 
during the night, for I smoked and smoked until the 
pipe itself caught fire and burned completely to the 
stem. 
“I was just sinking into a dreamy stupor, when the 
mules began to shake themselves and sneeze and snort, 
wdiich hailing as a good sign, and that they were still 
alive, I attempted to lift my head and take a view of 
the weather. When with great difficulty I raised my 
head, all appeared dark as pitch, and it did not at first 
occur to me that I was buried deep in snow; but when 
I thrust my arm above me, a hole was thus made, 
through which I saw the stars shining in the sky and 
the clouds fast clearing away. Making a sudden at- 
tempt to straighten my almost petrified back and limbs, 
I rose, but, unable to stand, fell forward in the snow, 
frightening the animals, which immediately started 
away. When I gained my legs I found that day was 
just breaking, a long gray line of light appearing o-ver 
the belt of timber on the creek, and the clouds gradu- 
ally rising from the east, and allowing. the stars to peep 
from patches of blue sky. Following the animals as 
soon as I gained the use of my limbs, and taking a last 
look at the perfect cave from which I had just risen, I 
found them in the timber, and singular enough under 
the very tree where w^e had cached our meat. How- 
ever, I was unable to ascend the tree in my present 
state, and my frost-bitten fingers refused to perform 
their offices; so that I jumped upon my horse, and 
follow^ed by the mules, galloped back to the Arkansa, 
w'hich I reached in the evening, half dead with hunger 
and cold. 
“The hunters had given me up for lost, as such a 
night even the ‘oldest inhabitant’ had never witnessed. 
My late companion had reached the Arkansa, and was 
safely housed before it broke, blessing his lucky stars 
that he had not gone back with me.” 
It was at this time that the news of the Pueblo Indian 
rising in the valley of Taos took place, and that Gov- 
ernor Charles Bent and other white men had been 
killed. The account of the fight at the house of Turley 
is given in detail, and is interesting as coming through 
Ruxton direct from Albert, one of the three survivors: 
“The massacre of Turley and his people, and the de- 
struction of his mill, were not consummated without 
considerable loss to the barbarous and cowardly as- 
sailants. There were in -the house at the time of the 
attack eight white men, including Americans, French 
Canadians, and one or two Englishmen, with plenty of 
arms and ammunition. Turley had been warned of the 
intended insurrection, but had treated the report with 
indifference and neglect, until one morning a man 
named Otterbees, in the employ of Turley, and who 
had been despatched to Santa Fe with several mule 
loads of whisky a few days before, made his appear- 
ance at the gate on horseback, and hastily informing 
the inmates of the mill that the New Mexicans had 
risen and massacred Governor Bent and other Ameri- 
cans, galloped off. Even then Turley felt assured that 
he would not be molested, but at the solicitations of his 
men, agreed to close the gate of the yard, round which 
were the buildings of a mill and distillery, and make 
preparations for defense. 
“A few hours after, a large crowd of Mexicans and 
Pueblo Indians made their appearance, all armed with 
guns and bows and arrows, and advancing with a white 
flag, summoned Turley to surrender his house and the 
Americans in it, guaranteeing that his own life should 
be saved, but that every other American in the valley 
of Taos had to be destroyed; that the Governor and 
all the Americans at Fernandez and the rancho_ had 
been killed, and that not one was to be left alive in all 
New Mexico. 
“To this summons, Turley answered that he woula 
never surrender his house nor his men, and that, if 
they wanted it or them, ‘they must take them.’ 
“The enemy then drew off, and after a short con- 
sultation, commenced the attack. The first day they 
numbered about five hundred, but the crowd was hourly 
augmented by tlie arrival of parties of Indians from the 
more distant pueblos, and of New Mfexiedns irom 
"Fernandez, La (panada and other places. , _ 
“The building' lay at the foot of a gradual slope m 
the sierra, which was covered with cedar bushes. In 
front ran the stream of the Arroyo Hondo, abo.ut 
twentj’ yards from one side of the square, and on the 
other side was broken ground, which rose abruptly and- 
formed the bank of the ravine. In rear, and behind'the 
still-house, was some garden ground inclosed by a small ;■ 
fence, and into which a small wicket gate opened from 
the corral. 
“As soon as the attack was determined upon, the 
assailants broke, and scattering, concealed themselves 
under the cover of the rocks and bushes which sur- 
rounded the house. 
“From these they kept up an incessant fire upon every 
exposed portion of the building, where they saw the 
Americans preparing for defense. 
“They, on their parts, were not idle; not a man but 
was an old mountaineer, and each had his trusty rifle, 
with good store of ammunition. Wherever one of the 
assailants exposed a hand’s breadth of his person, there 
whistled a ball from an unerring barrel. The windows 
had been blockaded, loop holes being left to_ fire 
through, and through these a lively fire was maintained. 
Already several of the enemy had bitten the dust, and 
parties were constantly seen bearing off the wounded 
up the banks of the Canada. Darkness came on, and 
during the night a continual fire was kept up on the 
mill, while its defenders, reserving their ammunition, 
kept their posts with stern and silent determination. 
The night was spent in running balls, cutting patches 
and completing the defenses of the building. In the 
morning the fight was renewed, and it was found that 
the Mexicans had effected a lodgment in a part of the 
stables, which were separated from the other portions of 
the buildings, and between which was an open space of 
a few feet The assailants during the night had sought 
to break down the wall and thus enter the main build- 
ing, but the strength of the adobes and Ipgs of which 
it was composed, resisted effectually all their atternpts. 
“Those in the stable seemed anxious to regain the 
outside, for their position was unavailable as a means 
of annoyance to the besieged, and several^ had darted 
across the narrow space which divided it from the 
other part of the building and which slightly projected, 
and behind which they were out of the line of fire. As 
soon, however, as the attention of the defenders was 
called to this point, the first man who attempted to 
cross, and who happened to be , a Pueblo chief, was 
dropped on the instant and fell dead in the center of 
the intervening space. It appeared an object to re- 
cover the body, for an Indian immediately dashed out 
to the fallen chief ai'id attempted to drag him within 
the cover of the wall. The rifle which covered the 
spot again poured forth its deadly contents, and the 
Indian, springing into the air, fell over the body of his 
chief, struck to the heart. Another and another met 
with a similar fate, and at least three rushed at once to 
the spot, and seizing the body by the legs and head, 
had already lifted it from the ground, when three puffs 
of smoke blew from the barricaded window, followed 
by the sharp cracks of as many rifles, and the_ three 
daring Indians added their number to the pile _ of 
corpses which now covered the body of the dead chief. 
“As yet the besieged had met with no casualties; but 
after the fall of the seven Indians in the manner above 
described, the whole body of assailants, with a shout of 
rage, poured in a rattling volley, and two of the de- 
fenders of the mill fell mortally wounded. One, shot 
through the loins, suffered great agony, and was re- 
moved to the still-house, where he was laid upon a large 
pile of grain, as being the softest bed to be found. 
“In the middle of the day the assailants renewed the 
attack more fiercely tlian before, their baffled attempts 
adding to their furious rage. The little garrison 
bravely stood to the defense of the mill, never throwing 
away a shot, but firing coolly, and only when a fair mark 
was. presented to their unerring aim. Their ammunition, 
however, was fast failing, and to add to the danger 
of their situation, the enemy set fire to the mill, which 
blazed fiercely and threatened destruction to the whole 
building. Twice they succeeded in overcoming the 
flames, and taking advantage of their being thus oc- 
cupied, the Mexicans and Indians charged into the 
corral, which was full of hogs and sheep, and vented 
their cowardly rage upon the animals, spearing and 
shooting all that came in their way. No sooner, how- 
ever, were the flames extinguished in one place than 
they broke out more fiercely in another; and as a suc- 
cessful defense was perfectly hopeless, and the numbers 
of the assailants increased every moment, a council of 
war was held by the survivors of the little garrison, 
when it was determined, as soon as night approached, 
that every one should attempt to escape as best he 
might, and in the meantime the defense of the mill 
was to be continued. 
“Just at dusk, Albert and another man ran to the 
wicket gate, which opened into a kind of inclosed space, 
and in which was a number of armed Mexicans. They 
both rushed out at the same moment, discharging their 
rifles full in the faces of the crowd. Albert, in the 
confusion, threw himself under the fence, whence he saw 
his companion shot down immediately, and heard his 
cries for mercy, mingled with shrieks of pain and 
anguish, as the cowards pierced him with knives and 
lances. Lying without motion under the fence, as soon 
as it was quite dark he crept over the logs and ran up 
to the mountain, traveled day and night, and scarcely 
stopping or resting, reached the Greenhorn, almost 
dead with hunger and fatigue. Turley himself suc- 
ceeded in escaping from the mill and in reaching the 
mountain unseen. Here he met a Mexican, mounted 
on a horse, who had been a most intimate friend of the 
unfortunate man for many years. To this man Turley 
offered his watch (which was treble its worth) for the 
use of his horse, but was refused. The inhuman wretch, 
however, affected pity and commiseration for the fugi- 
tive, and advised him to go to a certain place, where he 
would bring or send him assistance; but on reachirig the 
mill, which was now a mas of fire, he immediately in- 
formed the Mexicans of his place of concealment, 
whither a large party instantly proceeded and shot him 
to death. 
